Refrigerator.



. PATENTED.DEG.-17,190'7.

H. c. NOTT & A. W. RAU.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT- oFFIoE.

HOWARD c. NOTT AND ALEXANDER w. RAU, oF NEW YORK, 1i. r.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec; 17, 1907.

Application filed J annary 14, 1907- Serial No. 352.068..

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known that we, HOWARD C.- Now, a

York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, and ALEXANDER W.RAU, a citizen of the United States, residin at New York, in the countyof Kings an State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Refrigerators, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to cooling devices especially to the formgenerally known as refrigerators.

The object of the invention is to make use of the water from the meltingice to cause it to circulate through various portions of therefrigerator used for the storage of food and drink, whereby the saidwater is caused to abstract heat by extended circulation through therefrigerator and thereby render more eflicient its cooling properties.

In the drawings illustrating one embodiment of our invention, Figure 1is a front ele vation. Fig. 2 is a-horizontal section on line 22indicated in. Fig. 3. v ,Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33indicated in Fig. 2. Fi 4 is a vertical section on the line 44 indicatedin Fig. 2 and F ig. 5 is a perspective View of the interior coolingelement removed from the casing.

I The invention isshown as applied to a household refrigerator, in whichare shown two pairs of doors 12and' 13, opening to the storagecompartment; and doors 14 and 15 are shown giving access to the icechamber or receptacle. A hinged top 16 is also shown; all of whichmembers are hinged to a frame member denoted generally by 17, and whichmay be of any desired construction.

The refrigerator is shown as provided with two shelves denoted generallyby 20 and 21 that are constituted by tubes through which the water fromthe melting ice is caused to pass. In the form illustrated, the ice isplaced in a receptacle 2;, and upri ht tubes at each end, or each sideof the refrigerator convey the water from the melting ice in thereceptacle 22, into the tubes forming the shelf members; the verticalside tubular members being denoted generally by 23 and 24. These sidemembers connect with a closed bottom vessel 25, in which the water fromthe melting icr in thcrcceptaclo 32 is received. A tubular member isarranged at the rear of the receiving compartment and.

also receives the water from the melting ice,

being connected with the closed vessel 25,

and provided with an outlet member 27:

The latter member conducts the water into a vessel 28 resting on thebottom 29 of the easing, to still further retain the'water, until thisvessel becomes filled, when the water may be drawn off by a suitablevalve or faucet 30. The rear tubular member is composed of upright tubes34 each connecting with the closed vessel 25 and opening at the top intothe transverse tube 35, the latter discharging through the outlet tube27, into the closed vessel 28.

The ice receptacle 22 is formed in the nature of a pan, having a shortfront wall 31, and the side tubes 32 project upwardly in the receptacleashort distance, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 ,thereby causing the waterfrom t e melting ice to remain in the receptacle until its level reachesthe top of the. tubes 32, when it will flow down therethrough. By thismeans, sediment from the melting ice will be precipitated in thereceptacle instead of passing down the side tubular members. The shelves20 and 21 are formed of tubes 33 each connecting with one of thevertical tubes 32 at its extremity.

The tube 35 connecting the upri ht rear tubes 34 at their top is placedbe ow the bottom of the ice receptacle 25, whereby the water filling theupright side and rear tubes and the closed vessel 25 will flow throughthe connecting tube 35 down the outlet 27. Thereby all of these tubes aswell as the horizontal shelf tubes 33 will be filled with the coolingwater and the circulation thereof established, that will serve toefficiently abstract the heat from the articles placed on the shelvesand on the closed bottom member 25. The outlet tube 27 has its open endin the vessel 28 arranged near the bottom thereof, and the vessel 28being kept practically filled, air is prevented from entering the pipe27. The ice receptacle 22 is shown offset or removed from the rear wallof the casing and if desired, apertures 37 may be formed in thereceptacle to permit a circulation of cold air from the ice boxdownwardly.

in the construction illustrated, it will be observed that the. closedbottom vessel is rigidly connected to the ice receptacle by means of the'side tube members 32, thereby constituting a rigid unit member. Thismember can be formed separate from the casing of the refrigerator to beinserted into the casing .as may be found convenient.

The member can also be manufactured and I series of tubes extendingvertically upward supplied to the trade to be inserted in erdsting formsof refrigerators, it being only necessa to remove the shelves and theice receptac e with its shelves or partitions, to

permit the substitution of the unit interior member.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a cooling apparatus, the combination of a closed bottom vessel,two series of parallel tubes projecting upward from the ves sel, an icereceptacle connected with the upper ends of the vertical pipes oneseries on each of two opposite sides thereof, a plurality of series ofhorizontal tubes each series hav-' v of the latter upright tubes, and anupright outlet tube for the latter horizontal tube.

2. In a cooling apparatus, the combination of a closed bottom vessel,two series of parallel tubes projecting upward from the vessel, an icereceptacle connected with the upper ends of the vertical pipes oneseries on each of two opposite sides thereof, a plurality of series ofhorizontal tubeseach series having atube extending from one of saidvertical tubes to a corresponding opposite tube, a

from the bottomvessel at the rear thereof, a horizontal tube connectingthe upper end of the latter u right tubes, an upright outlet tube forthe atter horizontal tube, and a second closed vessel'located below saidbottom vessel, with said outlet tube leading into the lower portionthereof.

3. In a cooling apparatus, the combination ofa closed bottom vessel, twoseries of parone series on each of two opposite sides thereof, aplurality of series of horizontal tubes each series having a tube"extending from one of said vertical tubes to. a correnected with theupper ends of said opposite series of vertical tubes with the bottom ofsuch vessel located above the saidhorizontal connecting tube,.the endsof the said vertical tubes pro ecting a short distance above the bottomof the ice receptacle. HOWARD C. NOTT. ALEXANDER W. RAU- Wit-nesses:

WM. H. Rum, F. E. Boron.-

'allel tubes projecting upward from the vessel,

.sponding opposite tube, a series of tubes ex-

